and I know you’re out there–I’ve communicated with a few of you. (Paul Jankowski at jankowskis.com!)

I recently corresponded with Fr. Tom Extejt who kindly leaves tidbits of knowledge here in the comments. He’s filled us in with a bit of his family. So I thought perhaps this post may connect a few others researching the Jankowskis. I’m not related to many, mainly through marriage (two of Martin Plenzler’s daughters, Edna and Florence, married a Jankowski).

I thought however that I would share Fr. Extejt’s story of his Jankowski connections and of his great-great-grandmother, Dorota Jankowski. If anyone has additional information, let me know here via comment or via email and I will pass it along to him.

They are buried in Section 33 of Calvary. She died in 1937; he died in 1943. Their children were Florian (Jonesey), who never married, and Martha Jankowska Kaczorowska. So far, there is no known husband’s name or if there are any children or what their names could be.

Father also recently learned that the maiden name of his great-great-grandmother, Dorota Extejt, was Jankowska. Her place of birth is not known, nor are her parents’ names known. But per Fr. Extejt,

“she was born 2-5-1796 and died on 2-2-1902. So she almost made it to her 106th birthday, having lived in parts of 3 centuries, from the last days of George Washington’s second term to the early part of the Theodore Roosevelt administration. She was 80 years old when the came to Toledo, and liked it so well she stayed for almost 26 years! Her obit was the headline story on Page 1 of the Blade; it mentioned that she went to the January ’02 Rosary-Altar meeting at St. Anthony’s, went to Mass the Sunday before she died, and helped with the housework until 48 hours before she died. Talk about an iron constitution!”

What a wonderful story! If you have details, please feel free to share. If you email, I will follow up as soon as possible, usually within a few days.